


The Red Forest- Alternative

by camphalftribute



Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 08:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3722257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camphalftribute/pseuds/camphalftribute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an alternative to the alternative timeline Cole has arrived to. Instead splintering to 2043 and discovering Ramse is in the lead of 'West VII', Cole himself is the leader. What is he going to do, if he can't even meet the leader to convince him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Red Forest- Alternative

Cole arrived to 2043, shouting Cassie's name, he couldn't think about a worse time for splintering than this- right after she was kidnapped by Pallid man. Thinking about what was probably happening to her, Cole noticed there is a strange quiet in the place. Jones, Ramse and the rest weren't there, waiting for him. Instead of them, he only saw washed clothes above his head.

"What is going on? Jones, Ramse?" Cole called while trying to find out what happened to the facility. When he finally saw people, he discovered 'West 7' took over the place, and still didn't see any sign for Jones and the rest.

Cole saw a vision of Jones and the scientists working, where they usually did, and got headache from seeing what is probably the past, _his_ past, or some alternative timeline.

"Hi, Cole! Are you okay? What happened to you?" a stranger came to him, he has never seen him before- but it seemed the stranger knew him.

"I… I need to see Jones. Is she still here? Jones, the scientist"

"Of course she is- you are the one who said she has to stay. Come on, let's go find her"

Cole went with 2 strangers to find Jones, the Jones of what looks like the alternative present.

"Hi, Jones, Cole says he needs you. We think the guy fell on his head… He can't even remember what he said!" they said as they went back to their business.

"Jones?" Cole hesitated, didn't know in what point the timeline started to change- if it was changed at all. The change in the place could happen after he left but something the other guy said, "You said she has to stay," told him it's not the case. Something changed history.

"Mr. Cole? What do you need from me? I'm useless. Aren't I?" Jones talked to him as he was in a higher position than her, which was really strange to him- it doesn't matter what reality it is, he can't imagine him telling Jones what to do. Sure not saying she is useless.

"Jones, what happened? Did 'West 7' attack again and-"

"Again? They, _you_ , are here for a very long time. About 2 years ago. Why are you even asking- it's you who did it. Did you lose your memory?" Jones seemed confused, but finally she started to get interested in him.

"I… I never did it. I just came back from your machine over there. I came from…"

"It's not possible. Mr. Cole, I think you may need some rest. I never sent _you_ in there. The machine isn't in use since you took over the facility!" Jones went back to her work, or whatever she did.

"You were right! You sent me back, before the plague happened… I was there!" Cole started to give up, he came to an alternative reality- were Jones doesn't believe in her machine, and where he became… something else.

"Jones, look! Look at these marks. It's from your injections, to make me part of the system- remember? Time moves around me…" Cole had headache again, this time of a gun, and a glass falling on the floor. He couldn't help it.

"What is this?"

"I have memories… Same things… This is wrong, you're wrong. The… the other me is wrong."

"There is one way to find out, if this is true" Jones went, and until she came back Cole kept having these visions of the other reality, the real one. Jones came back and checked his blood, which revealed her Cole was telling the truth- her injections did something to his blood and let him to time travel.

"This is my life's work" Jones said, confused and proud at the same time.

"Yes, Jones, and in my reality- you succeed. In 2015, when I splintered back…"

"Splintered?!" Jones was excited to hear him using this word.

"Yes, splintered. So, when I splintered back I ended up… here… This isn't my time."

"Something must have happened, changed history. Instead of returning to your present, you came here. What were you doing in 2015?"

"You sent me back, to destroy the virus and stop the plague."

"To Chechnya, yes? In 2015, the first operate was in the hand of an intelligence agency, they called it 'operation Troy'"

"Troy? No… No, in my time the virus didn't start so… In 2016, we tracked 2 groups… Dr. Railly and I…"

"Who?"

"Cassie, Dr. Railly. The message, the transmission 'Leland Frost'" Cole kept trying, but Jones still didn't get it- she didn't remember any of these happening.

"Dr. Cassandra Railly from the CDC"

"Sorry Mr. Cole, I have never heard of her"

Cole and Jones went together to her place, to search some information about what happened. In their way many people started looking at them, they all respected him but there were many questions about why is he spending his time with _her_ , referring to Jones.

"Why all these people are acting like this? I have never seen them before"

"You didn't see them, but the other you… The you of my time, he knows all of them. You are… he is the leader of 'West 7'. Now you understand?"

"O… kay. It will be more difficult than I thought to convince the man who is in charge, I mean me, to let me use the machine again."

"Why?"

"Because I can't see myself in different times, it makes a paradox. We will have to make a plan."

"We will solve this later, now- we have to find out what changed history."

Jones started searching in the computer, trying to figure out what happened.

"Something very significant changed your timeline."

"Cassie started our investigation in my time; she sent us a message from the CDC…"

"Your Dr. Railly… was murdered, shot, in 2015." Jones kept scrolling while Cole looked at the screen, shocked. Can't believe Cassie died even earlier than in his timeline.

"They must have killed her after I splintered…"

"It looks like her death was a point of divergence. Somehow her absence must have caused the plague to be released a year earlier in Chechnya. She must have been very important" Jones talked while Cole kept looking at the words from the newspaper, the words about her death.

"She was, she is… I'm having difficulties to remember things right now…"

"You have memories from 2 different realities. Human brain is not made for such things. If you can't correct the past, this condition is gonna kill you."

"Does the machine still work?"

"It brought you back here…"

"Send me back."

"I'm no longer in command of this facility, remember? It's you now. You want to use the machine? You have to convince your other self."

"But… how? Whenever I see myself in another timeline, or reality, I have a headache and cannot do anything."

"So this is how we will convince the other you that it's truth."

"Well, it depends… Can you tell me what do you know about the other me? When Ramse and I joined 'West 7', or something?"

"Ramse? I never knew him personally. I heard his name only once, I think he was killed right after you joined 'West 7'. The previous leader didn't like him, but he had respect for you…"

"This happened. I mean, except the part of Ramse dying and I'm staying. We ran away together."

"As you probably understand I don't know the other you very well, so I don't know what to tell you… Mr. Whitley! You may help us now…"

Jones explained confused Whitley what is going on, it seemed to Cole like he was with her also in this reality. After a short explanation from Jones, Whitley added some details.

"As far as I know, you… the other you thought about running with Ramse, but you decided to stay in 'West 7', it gave you safety. And there was Max."

"Yeah, these thoughts went through my mind- but in my reality I chose Ramse over them…"

"Well, I don't know what happened. But 3 years ago 'West 7' attacked the facility and the previous leader got killed. He wanted the other you to be in charge instead of him. And this is what happened. You attacked the facility one year after it, and took over."

Cole thought what should they do, because it seemed even he doesn't know the other him very well. He would never left Ramse to die, not after all they have been through together.

"I… I think the best thing is to tell this other me the truth- I came from the machine, alternative timeline and all of this. I would probably not believe it- but then let the other me to see me, from a great distance he will be able to look at me, then let him feel the headache…"

"What then? As I know the other you, he- you- would probably say it's a random person with a mask." Whitley said.

"Then you will put as far enough, and I will shout at him some things I never told anybody, and I'm sure the other me did the same."

"Let's hope it will work."

Whitley took Jones and Cole to where the other Cole was at the time. As planned, in the beginning Cole stayed outside- out of sight. Cole barely heard what is going on inside.

"Mr. Cole, it will be hard to believe. The machine brought someone back…"

"The machine doesn't work for at least 2 years, how the hell could it bring someone back?" Cole heard the other him, and started to believe it will be impossible to convince him.

"It… It brought someone from another reality, alternative timeline. The plague started there a year later and the reality in there is very… Different."

"Let's say I believe you and your crazy story about the other timeline and all this sh*t. Where is this time traveler?"

"This part will be even harder for you to believe… The other time traveler is you…"

"Are you kidding me or? I'm right here, and I didn't get out from any machine as long as I remember."

"You didn't, but… There is another you…"

"Now you really are talking bullshit. Get out!"

"Please, Mr. Cole…" Jones's voice was hopeless. But then Whitley came to help her.

"Cole, let her talk. She is telling the truth- but if you won't believe her when she finish, we will leave you."

"Well… Whatever. But I want to see this… Other me"

"Mr. Cole, the other you came out of the machine. In an alternative reality I sent him to 2015, to stop the plague- save the world! But something changed history, brought him to our timeline.

"Before he enters the room you should know- when you see him both of you will get headache, one can't meet himself from another time, it creates a paradox."

"I don't care. Bring him in."

Whitley opened the door and Cole saw the other him, just before they both had headache.

"Please… Make it stop! It hurts!" The other Cole, 'West 7' leader, shouted and Whitley closed the door.

"And how can I believe you it's not some prank you're doing to make me let you use this stupid machine again?"

"Hear what he, the other you, has to say. Let him prove it."

"Okay, time traveler- talk." The other Cole shouted in a dismissive tone.

"James… Cole… Listen to me, it's your voice! Your father left you in a dormitory, you don't remember your mother, your father always told you to not use the word 'Cannot' because the only failure is giving up. Your first and only true friend was Ramse… At least until he died. It was one of the hardest decisions of your life- choosing between staying in 'West 7' and leaving with Ramse…"

"Okay, enough!" Cole thought he failed and held his breath, waiting to hear a continuation.

"I still not completely believe you. Either you're telling the truth, or you did a really good research which shows it's truly important to you. Go use the stupid machine; I hope it won't kill another person." Cole could finally breathe again. He did it.

Jones and Whitley came out, smiling.

"So, are we going to fix the timeline?" Jones asked and started walking towards the machine. As the other Cole didn't come, they guessed he decided to stay safe and not risk them with another headache.

As Jones went to the control panel and Cole went to the machine, Max broke in- with a gun.

"You succeed at pranking Cole, but not in pranking me. There is no way you and him are the same person."

"Max, it _is_ me. As we explained- I'm from a different timeline. Please…"

"No. You are only trying to get this thing here active again, and killing more people. And I will not let you do that."

"But Max, Cole- the other one- he believes. I told him things the only person who knows is…"

"Oh yeah, this information. You could find it in at least 10 different ways. You don't must to be him to know that."

Max shot Jones while Whitley was jumping on her, didn't let her shoot well enough, so the bullet hits Jones's lower belly.

"Cole, you have to go… Now. Fast, tell me when and where…" Jones said, barely keeps standing, while Whitley fought Max.

"July 6th, 2015. Baltimore."

"Go now. Find some help. Find somebody you can trust."

Cole ran to the machine, ready to splinter to 2015 to save Cassie.

"Just… Just before you leave… Please, ask the other me, in your timeline… Ask her about the sacrifice."

And then Cole splintered, wondering what Jones meant, but he had no time to spend- he had to save Cassie.


End file.
